Small Business Trends

Not too long ago, we received a comment from a reader of our Small Business Trends small business news roundups on a post called “Marketing Mashup.” Though we ran through a wide variety of marketing techniques, the reader, “Mailing Lists,” found one conspicuously missing:

I am surprised that direct mail marketing was not mentioned? Advertising with mailing lists has consistently out performed any other form of marketing. I think the social media hype will wear off for small businesses. It seems to be more effective for larger already branded companies.

While I’m not sure we’d agree on the whole “social media is for big companies” thing, we heard ya. Not surprisingly, there’s plenty about direct marketing floating around on the Internet today. Can you say direct marketing renaissance? Here’s an overview of the latest on direct marketing in a mashup all its own, including how to integrate it with the dreaded social media revolution. Enjoy!

Direct Marketing Revolution?

What David Ogilvy would say about the state of direct marketing today. The British advertising executive once dubbed “The Father of Advertising” had some very distinct views about direct marketing, or “direct response advertising” as he called it. Though he is no longer with us, his wisdom still echoes in the digital world. In fact, one clip on the state of direct marketing as he saw it remains so popular that it is still being Tweeted today. Direct marketers, the future is yours! OgilvyGroup01

Old School

Is printed direct marketing still effective? Yes, printed advertising materials are still with us, and, by some accounts, will be for some time to come. But is it wise or cost effective to use printed direct marketing in a day and age of high printing and postage rates and free e-mail? The answer? It depends. Check out Scott’s full discussion on marketing with dead trees above. ScottFox.com

Dead tree direct mail stages come-back. While it may still remain the more expensive choice, direct mail that’s,…well, real honest to goodness mail may be experiencing a renaissance too. Have overuse of cheap e-mail marketing combined with the lower volume of the mail that actually comes to your door created a new opportunity for direct mail marketers? Direct Marketing News

Prospecting

How to use free eBooks to create a mailing list. Before you can create direct marketing online or off, of course, you must first build a list of prospects. Prospecting is not what it once was and an important step is to create a list of people actually interested in hearing from you in the future. A great way to do that, insists Shelly Kramer, is to offer them an eBook or other valuable content for free…in exchange for the right to stay in touch. V3

Strategy

How direct marketing saved whales from extinction. It’s not all about pushing product. In fact, direct marketing’s greatest devotees would argue the approach remains one of the most scalable methods for spreading just about any important message. Want more proof? Find out what Greenpeace and Amazon owe to DM techniques. Ogilvy Group UK

Metrics

How easy is it to measure your marketing success? Perhaps the best argument for including direct marketing in your playbook is that the results are easier to gauge than with some other approaches. Marketer Bruce Turkel gives a rather extreme example of how direct marketing operates at the most desperate levels. But, even higher up on the food chain, it’s helpful to remember that, where results are critical, a direct marketing approach can provide a realistic perspective. Turkel Talks

Video

Show don’t tell in your direct marketing campaign. The power and popularity of video on the Internet is already well-known, so coupling that power with direct marketing is an obvious step. John Sonnhalter argues for the value of video as a direct marketing tool over copy especially in businesses where a product or service can be easily demonstrated. Are you using the power of video in your direct marketing campaign? Tradesmen Insights

Social Media

Adding a social side to your direct marketing campaign. It may seem as if social media with its notoriously contested ROI and direct marketing, touted by supporters as a much more measurable marketing approach, would be forever at odds. So would you be surprised to learn that efforts to marry the two techniques building on the referral power of social media may actually result in more measurable marketing results? The Small BizNest

Collaboration is key. Even without innovations that allow small businesses to track their direct marketing results in a social media environment, many companies are seeing the value of letting social media “power” their direct marketing campaigns. This means both using social media to draw attention to direct marketing and other more traditional campaigns and also making sure that direct marketing and other materials direct recipients back to social media channels. B@B

Conclusion

Should all of your marketing be direct? At first glance Lois Geller’s approach to direct marketing may seem unorthodox. In spirit, it is worlds away from building prospect lists and e-mailing or mailing out direct response offers. Check out Lois’ advice to the owner of a New York City limo service–ditch the black cars and go for a color that stands out. And then it hits you. The “direct response” is a new customer and that should be the goal of any marketing campaign. The Joy of Direct Marketing